Bears’ Curlings tabbed as Sun Journal's Coach of the Year

Published: Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 05:31 PM.

What made this year special, Curlings said, was the quality of high-character players assembled.

“To have an undefeated season, you have to have good-character kids leading the way,” Curlings said. “They are good guys who go out of their way to help people. It makes winning even better.”

Curlings preaches to his team about playing together like a family. He expects his players to give it their all, and have a positive attitude.

The Bears are 40-3 over the past three seasons — advancing to at least the state semifinals in each of those years.

“We talk about being a champion every day,” Curlings said. “We say the word champ more than they want to, and it re-enforces to them that if they work hard, do the right things and make the right choices, not just on the football field, they have a lot of good things to look forward to in life.

“Philosophy-wise, we want them to live like a champ.”

New Bern finally got that to that coveted state championship game, after falling one game short the previous two seasons.

Bobby Curlings recalls a time as an assistant coach when the New Bern Bears won just two games and the coaching staff was feeling the heat.

The football program has since turned around — playing for a state championship five times since 2002.

Curlings, head coach at New Bern High since 2006, has two state championships in seven seasons.

This season, the Bears (15-0) posted their first undefeated season, won their third-consecutive Mideastern Conference title, and topped it all off with a 39-38 win over Porter Ridge in the 4A state championship game.

“We’ve had some ups and downs,” Curlings said. “That comes and goes with high school sports. You can’t go out and recruit your players.

“Sometimes you are going to have good teams with bad attitudes. Sometimes you are going to have bad teams with good attitudes. When you get good teams with good attitudes, you have a special season like this.”

Curlings, who owns a 74-19-1 career record at New Bern High, is the 2012 Sun Journal Coach of the Year.

What made this year special, Curlings said, was the quality of high-character players assembled.

“To have an undefeated season, you have to have good-character kids leading the way,” Curlings said. “They are good guys who go out of their way to help people. It makes winning even better.”

Curlings preaches to his team about playing together like a family. He expects his players to give it their all, and have a positive attitude.

The Bears are 40-3 over the past three seasons — advancing to at least the state semifinals in each of those years.

“We talk about being a champion every day,” Curlings said. “We say the word champ more than they want to, and it re-enforces to them that if they work hard, do the right things and make the right choices, not just on the football field, they have a lot of good things to look forward to in life.

“Philosophy-wise, we want them to live like a champ.”

New Bern finally got that to that coveted state championship game, after falling one game short the previous two seasons.

The Bears drove 80 yards on 15 plays in less than four minutes to claim the title. Senior Jachin Watkins scored the game-winning touchdown with a two-yard run with 26 seconds remaining.

“Anytime you go undefeated and win the state championship, it’s special,” Curlings said. “For it to come down to the last couple minutes is kind of like a storybook script.

“Winning is always a plus, but to be able to do it with the quality kids we have on the team makes it even more special.”

Curlings, who graduated from Bertie High School, played college football as an offensive at Guilford College. He joined New Bern’s coaching staff in 1997.

With Curlings as assistant coach, the Bears played for the 4AA state championship in 2002, 2003 and 2005 — all losses to Charlotte Independence.

He replaced Chip Williams prior to the 2006 school year. Curlings then guided New Bern to a 28-17 win over Charlotte Independence in the 2007 4AA state championship game.

Five years later, Curlings laid claim to his second title, led by senior quarterback Josh Taylor.

“I’ve been blessed to be here,” Curlings said. “I wouldn’t want to be any place else. There are high expectations for the program.

“Kids believe we are going to win and that’s half the battle. I’m very fortunate to be here. It’s a great football community.”

As any successful coach would admit, he couldn’t do it without his assistant coaches.

Former West Craven head coach Clay Jordan has been in charge of the offense the past three seasons. Steve Lovett leads the defense. Former NFL player Jeremy McDaniel is on staff, along with Taurence Williams, Bobby Brown, Joe Davis and Gene Primavera.

“We have one of the better coaching staffs around,” Curlings said. “Anytime you have a guy (Clay Jordan) that has a field named after him that’s calling plays and running the offense, you have an advantage.

“Coach Lovett, coming back for a second time here, nobody puts in more time than he does. Coach McDaniel played here and brings a lot to the table because he played in college and in the NFL. He gives all kinds of experience and knowledge back.”

While winning is important, Curlings takes more pride in his players succeeding away from the football field.

He builds a close bond to his players each season.

“It’s going to be pretty tough to see them leave,” he said. “There have been several classes in a row that have had outstanding character.

“We tell the kids to put their egos on the shelf. They care about each other and they play for each other.”